The present invention is particularly useful when used to trap fleas, and that application will be discussed in detail below. However, in its broader form the present invention may be used to trap other insects; accordingly, the scope of the present invention should be determined not with reference to the following detailed discussion but instead with reference to the claims appended hereto.
Fleas are wingless, hard-bodied insects that feed on the blood of warm-blooded animals. Because of their predominance, two types of fleas are of primary interest. The cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis) is most commonly found on cats and dogs but also attacks humans. The human flea (Pulex irritans) employs humans as its primary host.
Fleas are carried by dogs, cats, and humans into human dwellings where they breed and multiply. At a minimum, the presence of fleas in the home is annoying because of the itching and irritation caused by a flea bite. Flea infestation can result in more serious problems, however, because fleas have the ability to transmit disease.
Numerous methods are commonly employed: (a) to prevent homes from becoming infested with fleas; and (b) to eliminate homes of fleas once they have become infested. For prevention and control, powders, sprays, dips, and collars for pets have been employed to kill fleas on pets or to repel fleas so that they do not stay on the pet and are thus not carried into the home. These prevention methods rely on toxic chemicals to kill or repel fleas. For elimination, sprays or aerosol "bombs" have been employed to kill fleas in the home. Bombs release toxic chemicals throughout the house to eliminate the fleas therein, while sprays are toxic chemicals sprayed on the floor of the house to kill fleas thereon; either or both of these elimination methods may be used in conjunction with the prevention methods just-discussed.
However, any protection provided by methods employing chemicals is short-lived because such chemicals quickly break down over time. Further, toxic chemicals can result in toxic and subtoxic reactions in animals and humans exposed thereto.
It is thus desirable to develop methods and apparatus for trapping and killing fleas in the home which do not rely on the use of toxic chemicals and which have a long-term effect.